Ubuntu Self Help Educare Resource Centre

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Ubuntu Self Help Educare Resource Centre: Support Day Cares, Share Toy Libraries

Pretoria, Sudáfrica
Organization type: 
nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector
Project Stage:
Growth
Budget: 
$1,000 - $10,000
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if daycare could be used to foster community in informal settlements?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Though prevalent throughout the country, informal settlements in South Africa receive the least governmental support. Whether food provision, school funding, or day care center support, informal settlements are ignored. In day care centers, such lack of support means insufficient staff, inadequate space, and unqualified teachers. Compounded by the pervasive poverty and lack of education, day care centers have no chance of improving facilities or curricula, let alone student learning and childhood development.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

As a comprehensive support system, Ubuntu Self Help Educare Resource Center helps struggling day care centers in informal settlements provide adequate care and education. Serving as government liaison, offering administrative services, and running a toy library, Ubuntu ensures centers have the funding, capacity, and resources to support early childhood development. In particular, Ubuntu's mobile toy library provides educational toys and curricular aids for children's cognitive, emotional, and physical development. By introducing children to engaging, interactive, and enjoyable methods of learning, Ubuntu helps children believe in and achieve their potential, so often blighted by government and society.
Impact: How does it Work

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

What once began as a toy library run from a packing crate has expanded to serving 120 day care centers in an informal settlement outside Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital. Ubuntu has continued to grow, organizing programs in two other local settlements based on the original model, but adapted to local needs. To facilitate such expansion, Ubuntu also trains volunteers and day care practitioners, partnering with The Toy and Leisure Library Association, the National Coalition of Early Childhood Development Practitioners, and the Ithuba Trust. In doing so Ubuntu hopes to contribute to high-quality, well-managed, professional care for all South African children, through engaging day care centers across the country.
Sustainability

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

Recognizing the unmet needs of South Africa's informal settlement populations, Ubuntu seeks to develop a comprehensive support system for day care centers located in lower-income areas. As such, Ubuntu's programs develop with the community, growing to meet changing needs. Ubuntu's toy library, for example, introduced an unprecedented, innovative method of creative education because it saw an underserved need. In this manner, Ubuntu supports early childhood development as a critical component of communities breaking the cycle of poverty.
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